


So Long, So Nice to Know Ya

by silentwhisper002



Series: After The Storm [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Based on an All Time Low Song, Canon Compliant, Dealing With Loss, Light Angst, Moving On
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:55:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26901727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silentwhisper002/pseuds/silentwhisper002
Summary: So long, so nice to know yaI'm sorry to sayWe can't go back to yesterdayNebula attempts to leave it all behindTitle from Nice2knou - All Time Low
Relationships: Nebula & Peter Quill
Series: After The Storm [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1883713
Kudos: 4





	So Long, So Nice to Know Ya

She relaxed back against the headrest of the seat, one hand on the joystick, the other shoved deep into her third bag of potato chips. Screw Quill for getting her hooked on the stuff. It was disgusting and disgusting for you, but it comforted her in a way, like it was the last bit of suppressed humanity she had left.

Shifting the ships’s gear into auto-pilot, Nebula kicked her feet up on the control board, letting her eyes drift shut and the solitude sink in. Out here, alone in space, there was no endless bickering, no literal definitions to everything, and no booming music blasting from every system in the vessel. It was just her, the broken navigation system, and the infinite blanket of stars.

The ambient sound of the great abyss had just begun lulling her to sleep, when the obnoxious sound of her transceiver going off jolted her back into consciousness.

Nebula glowered at the little device and it’s constant buzzing.

Who the hell dared disturb her sleep, and why the fuck did Stark have to make these things so godsdamned loud?

Huffing, she grabbed the small communicator from its place on the seat beside her, and raised an eyebrow at what the murky-green screen displayed.

_— 12 unread messages from: Resident Dumbass —_

Nebula rolled her eyes.

Of-fucking-course.

Who else, but the infamous, Peter Quill, would send her twelve messages in a matter of fifteen seconds?

Shaking her head, she scrolled through what the man had to say.

**_Resident Dumbass - 11:13pm_ **

_Drax just challenged Rocket to a pizza consumption contest_

**_Resident Dumbass - 11: 14pm_ **

_Update: We can’t get pizza_

**_Resident Dumbass - 11:14pm_ **

_They have elected to raid my chicken nugget stash instead_

**_Resident Dumbass - 11:14pm_ **

_They fucking owe me for this_

**_Resident Dumbass - 11:14pm_ **

_I mean, who the fuck are they to disrespect my nuggets like that?_

**_Resident Dumbass - 11:15pm_ **

_They were the dinosaur kind too :(_

**_Resident Dumbass - 11:15pm_ **

_Holy fuck, I’m dead, what the fuck was that?_

**_Resident Dumbass - 11:15pm_ **

_Who knew Mantis could eat so many nuggets?_

**_Resident Dumbass -11:16pm_ **

_The general consensus is to throw her off the ship_

**_Resident Dumbass - 11:16pm_**

_Rocket lost his shit over that, you really missed out._

**_Resident Dumbass - 11:16pm_ **

_We miss you_

**_Resident Dumbass - Now_ **

_Are you sure you don’t want come back?_

Nebula’s hand clenched the transceiver a little tighter as her eyes grazed over the last message.

Shutting the little devil off, she slowly placed the communicator back in its place and crossed her arms over her chest as she settled back into her own seat, Quill’s last message on replay in her mechanical brain.

_Are you sure you don’t want to come back?_

* * *

_“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?”_

Nebula threw the last of her things—which really hadn’t been much to begin with—into her bag. She straightened and fixed Quill with an indifferent look, hoping he couldn’t see the heavy emotion threatening to burst from behind the walls she'd so carefully built.

“It’s necessary.”

Quill didn’t look convinced.

“Nebula, we want you here. Is that it? You feel like you don’t belong?”

Nebula shook her head.

“Then, what? We’re family, aren’t we?”

The word “family” struck a chord in Nebula that she didn’t appreciate being played.

“No. Gamora was your family, I am not.”

She immediately regretted the words after they’d left her mouth. The expression on Quill’s face looked as though he’d been stabbed in the gut. She never should have reopened that wound.

But it didn’t discount the truth in her words.

The Gardeners, Guardians, whatever the Hell they called themselves, were not her family. They were just a temporary home.

The only reason she’d stayed, had been for her sister. But Gamora was gone now, and she had no business associating any longer with the ruffians she’d come to call her friends (not that she'd ever admit that out loud).

She knew Quill and the others had desperately been trying to find a sense of normality after all that had gone down, but for some reason, while they fell back into their old routine, Nebula felt as though she were trapped. She needed to get out, start over. There was no use in reaching for a yesterday that would never reappear.

“Quill, I-“ She tried to right her insensitivity.

Quill took a deep breath, shaking his head and glancing upwards as if to hold back tears.

“No, no, it’s good. I get it.”

“I didn’t-“

“It’s okay, Nebula. I never once thought about how hard it must be foryou, not having her here, and I should have. I’m sorry. I can understand why you’d want to leave. When my mom died, I ran away-“

“I’m not running from anything.”

“I _know_ , let me finish.” He shot her a friendly glare for the interruption, “I ran away because I felt like if I stayed in that room any longer, I’d suffocate. I couldn’t bear being in a place where she wasn’t. So I left. What I’m trying to say is, If you really think you need out, then go. I won’t hold it against you. Too much.” He added the last part with a playful grin.

“Thank you.” She whispered.

An awkward silence fell over the two as they faced each other, both unsure of what to say now.

After a few moments, Quill rocked back on his feet and jerked his thumb in the direction of the door.

“Well, I’m gonna go…”

But before he could leave, Nebula surged forward and grabbed Quill in a hug.

He made a slight noise of surprise at her sudden movements, but nonetheless, hugged her back.

However, due to Nebula’s distaste for emotional affection, the gesture was over as quick as it had begun.

She coughed slightly to clear the air and lifted the bag from the stripped bunk.

“I’m going now.”

Quill nodded. “Right. Be safe. And if you change your mind, you’re always welcome here.”

* * *

Nebula blinked again, retracing her steps until she was completely out of her head and safely back into the realms of harsh reality.

Glancing down at the transceiver again, she witnessed the screen light up once more.

This time it was a photo message.

Quill had attached an image of himself, Groot, and Mantis, showcasing a clear argument between Rocket and Drax taking place in the background.

Feeling a little guilty for leaving him unanswered, she typed out a swift reply

**Nebula - 11: 27pm**

_Sorry I missed it._

The message window indicated that Quill was responding, but Nebula shut her device off before it could come through.

If she was going to fully move on with her life, she couldn’t save time for distant memories. The nostalgia would do nothing but hold her back.

She’d told Quill she’d keep in touch, but she hoped he knew it wouldn’t be often, that in her process of trying to forget, he too would become part of the forgotten.

The transceiver rang, but this time, she ignored it.

“So long, so nice to know you.” She whispered into infinity. “I’m sorry to say.”

There was no return to yesterday, and so, she carried on.


End file.
